Woman is jailed for hanging 'devil dog'

SPARTANBURG, SC (NBC) - A religious fanatic is being accused of burning and hanging a family members dog to death for chewing on her Bible.

Miriam Smith admitted hanging her nephew's 1-year-old pit bull because it was a "devil dog."

Deputies said that Andy Fowler called them last Tuesday to report that his aunt had hung his dog.

Officers found the partially burned body of the dog under a pile of grass with an orange electrical cord around its neck at the home. Dr. Dana Miller, vice president of animal cruelty initiatives for the Humane Society, performed a necropsy and verified that the dog died by hanging.

"She wasn't right in the head, she just interpreted the Bible in her own way," neighbor John Worthy said. "She's not a monster, she is good natured."

Smith is charged with animal cruelty. She is being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center for animal cruelty.

"This is one of top three animal cruelty cases in Spartanburg County," Director of Environmental Enforcement James Nelson said.

"I just think she needs a lot of help because I don't condone what she did," Worthy said. "I've had dogs all my life but I don't know if jail is the best place for her. She needs help."